Singapore, Malaysia choke as illegal Indonesia forest fires rage

June 17, 2013|Reuters

SINGAPORE, June 17 (Reuters) - Air pollution in Singaporeand Malaysia rose to unhealthy levels on Monday thanks toillegal forest clearing in Indonesia, prompting Singapore toadvise people against staying outdoors for long and to urgeIndonesia to do something to stop it.

In usually clear Singapore, the pollutant standards indexhit the highest level in nearly seven years, with the taste ofsmoke hitting the back of the throat even in air-conditionedoffices and the subway.

"Given the current hazy conditions, it is advised thatchildren, the elderly and those with heart or lung diseasesreduce prolonged or heavy outdoor activities," Singapore'sNational Environment Agency said in a statement.

"Everyone else should limit prolonged or heavy outdooractivities."

The agency said the haze was caused by forest fires on theIndonesian island of Sumatra and that it was expected to lastfor a few days.

It said it had "urged the Indonesian authorities to lookinto urgent measures to mitigate the transboundary hazeoccurrence".

In Malaysia, the air quality reached unhealthy levels inseveral northeastern states as well as the southern state ofMalacca, a UNESCO heritage site popular with tourists, thecountry's Department of Environment said.

The illegal clearing of forests by burning is a recurrentproblem in Indonesia, particularly during the annual dry seasonthat typically stretches from June to September.

In 1997 and 1998, the smog disrupted air and sea traffic,causing an estimated $9 billion in terms of economic, social andenvironmental losses, according to the Association of SoutheastAsian Nations (ASEAN), a 10-member regional grouping thatincludes Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.

ASEAN members signed an agreement on transboundary hazepollution in June 2002 but Indonesia has yet to ratify theagreement.